This winter may be especially cold, and especially snowy, but it could be a lot worse.
Here are five reasons why this season isn't as bad as you think:
1. The snowiest winter season on record was the 1978-1979 season, which totaled 89.7 inches of snow. O'Hare has only recorded 52.6 inches so far this season, though another system is expected to dump anywhere from 3-7 inches of snow on the area.
2. Despite the bouts of extreme cold in Chicago last month, it was only the 8th coldest January on record. The state saw an average temperature of 18.2 degrees for the month. While that was still 8.1 degrees below average, the coldest January on record was in 1977, with an average temp of 10.3 degrees.
3. January wasn't snowiest month on record. The city ended the month in third place with a snow total of 33.7 inches, but January 1918 still holds the top spot with 42.5 inches of snow. January 1979 comes in second place with 40.4 inches.
4. Chicago could be in this storm right now.
5. The snow hasn't exactly shut down our city...we can't say the same for Atlanta.
